By Natalie Hanna & Karma Paez

On February 2, the Granada Hills Charter (GHC) dance team hosted its 15th annual Granada’s Best Dance Crew (GBDC) competition. While last year the event was held in the big gym, this year it took place in Highlander Hall. 

Each team was assigned up to four dance team members who were responsible for creating and teaching the choreography. The members of each crew were able to choose the style of dance and some of the songs they wanted to perform. 

“For the choreography, I built it off of their ideas,” senior Dance Team member Emily Sazo said. “I asked them what their vibe was, created the mix, and started building my choreography off of what they can do. As I was practicing with them, I would alter the choreography to make it work for them.”

This year’s judges were English teacher Maureen Grandchamp,  Drama teacher Stuart Fingeret, as well as GHC Dance Team alumnus Lauren Maclean, who joined the judges’ table for the last round. 

The dance team performed at the start of the event. They danced to “HUMBLE.” by Kendrick Lamar, “It’s Goin’ Down” by Yung Joc and NITTI, and more. 

The crews who performed in the first section of the event were the Filipino Cultural Club (FCC), the cheer team, Model United Nations (MUN), and Choir. After a 15-minute intermission, DECA, the Associated Student Body (ASB), the track team, and RevSteps performed. 

The audience then voted for their favorite dance crew through a QR code on the programs that were handed out at the entrance. Choir and FCC were the two crews that were voted to make it to the final round ending with a dance-off. FCC performed their dance again followed by Choir. These final performances were judged by Grandchamp, Fingeret, and Maclean to determine the winner.

“When we were performing the second time, it was hype because we knew we had to win,” senior Ian Wood, performing with the choir team, said. 

Choir began their performance by spelling out “Chambers” and then singing the beginning of “No Diggity” by Blackstreet. They danced to songs such as “Pour It Up” by Rihanna and “7/11” by Beyonce. The crew even included a dance battle during their own performance. 

With the music coming to an end, and the Choir performing their last moves, the audience was quick to their feet to give them a standing ovation. The judges loved the performance as much as the crowd, crowning the choir team the winner. 

“Just unreal choreography and energy,” Fingeret said. “Energy is hard to maintain, but it just kept going and going. The crowd loved it and [they] had amazing moves.”

After reigning victorious, the Choir Team was awarded a gift basket filled with candies. The team hugged in the center of the stage and shook hands with FCC, showing good sportsmanship.

“I really enjoyed watching the various teams dance, and I think Choir’s dance definitely deserved to win,” senior Katherine Lopez said. “I loved how they started their performance with something personal to them which was singing.”

The 15th annual GBDC was a great showcase of the talent, creativity, and teamwork of many groups on campus. The event was a testament to the dedication and passion of all teams and clubs involved.